Blix: First Round of Iraq Talks 'Substantial'

Reuters, Yahoo news ^ | February 8, 2003 | reuters

[prairiebreeze]

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix said after a first round of disarmament talks with Iraqi officials on Saturday that the discussions were "very substantial."

"We had a long day of discussion. They were useful discussions," Blix told reporters after he and chief U.N. nuclear expert Mohamed ElBaradei had held 4-1/2 hours of talks in Baghdad with an Iraqi monitoring team led by presidential adviser Amer al-Saadi. Asked how he would describe the discussions, Blix said: "Very substantial."

Blix and ElBaradei are in Baghdad less than a week before they next report to the U.N. Security Council. A critical report on February 14 could start the countdown for a U.S.-led invasion to disarm Iraq.

[prairiebreeze]

Hussein: talk, talk, talk, talk Blix: yak, yak, yak Hussein: talk, talk, talk, talk Blix: yak, yak, yak Hussein: talk, talk, talk, talk Blix: My that IS satisfying isn't it?

[SAJ]

Memo to Hansie:

Nobody cares about 'substantial talks', Schiesskopf. Better get some 'substantial action', verstehen sie?

[jlogajan]

Heh heh, "substantial" is shop talk for meaning nothing was accomplished.

[ysoitanly]

Gotta cite Henry Kissinger the other night on this one - this is NOT a game of 'we'll give you this tidbit' and 'we'll comply with this request, sort of.' This is REAL - *you* have to prove to *us* you have nothing, and you CAN'T. We shouldn't be the ones posing questions. He has to 'pre-emptively' PROVE everyone is wrong, not answer questions. Blix should resign and continue his impersonation of Mr. Magoo.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

CNN is already hawking this as an incredible breakthrough. Saddam allows one scientist to meet in a bugged room, revealing only what Saddam wants known and they think this means peace has broken out. The gushing updates from Hans,only make him look more clownish and inefficient.

[coloradan]

Do we get extra points for bombing the discussions?

[capt. norm]

Blix goes to the unemplyment line the day the fighting against Saddam begins.

He is just trying to save his "stern".

I look for him to try everything he can think of to stretch his job as long as possible.

Unless Europe has something like we have in this country: A "Used Liberal Lot" where they store pepople like Carter, DuKakis, and the Garys (Hart and Condit).

[TheBattman]

They were useful discussions

And the real interpretation of this statement:

We were able to negotiate my payoff

[McGavin999]

Hans Blix is going to be responsible for either starting the war, or destroying the UN. Let's see which one he chooses.

[Political Junkie Too]

First round? How long have they been there?

First it was unlimited inspections, but then we learned that "unlimited" had limits.

Then it was unfettered inspections, but inspectors waited hours outside of palaces before being let in.

Now it is substantial talks.

What's next?

-PJ

[TXnMA]

(Thanks to Neal Boortz and the Nealz Nuze cartoonist, Joel Samuelson.)

[Wphile]

Hans Blix is going to be responsible for either starting the war, or destroying the UN.

Personally, I hope he does both. I am so disgusted with the ninnies in the UN. It's time to let it go.

[Russ]

Within a week I expect to see Hans "Chamberlain" Blix step off an airplane waving a white piece of paper and telling us he's secured "peace in our time". THE FOOL!!